Benefits of Assimilation

Published: April 7, 1994

To The Home Section:

Suzanne Slesin wrote recently of Elaine Reichek's experience growing up in Brooklyn in an assimilated environment ("Perils of a Nice Jewish Girl in a Colonial Bedroom," Feb. 17).

Apparently the sin of the parents was, as first-generation immigrant Jews, to accept American culture wholeheartedly. The implication is that assimilated Americans are somehow inferior souls drifting without an anchor.

Individuals have every right to esteem their background and the rich cultural diversity of our country. I just ask, for the sake of those who may cherish the uniqueness of the American experience and, yes, assimilation, that the critics drop their smug tone and re-examine the value of our collective history.

My grandsons, with their Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Unitarian, Native American, English, Scottish, Irish, German, Dutch, French and Portuguese backgrounds, seem to thrive in their assimilated pot. Maybe Ms. Reichek will discover that her parents, who had firsthand experience with old European ways, tried to give her something of value. ROGER LOWEN Reston, Va.